Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Simon Hughes said the declaration was “desperately disappointing” when the world needed a deal.
He said: “I can’t remember an occasion when more people of power and influence came together on a more important issue and went away with so little to show for it.”Shadow climate change secretary Greg Clark said talks must go on in the months ahead until a proper deal is struck.
He said: “I made it clear in Copenhagen that, if negotiations continue beyond the general election and Conservatives were in government, there would be no let up in our determination to secure a rigorous global deal.”Green Party leader Caroline Lucas said the outcome after years of waiting was “a complete disaster”.
She said: “What have we got? An empty accord with no legally binding framework, no targets, and no money guaranteed to be over and above existing aid budgets. It’s deeply, deeply disappointing.”Friends of the Earth campaigner Tom Picken said the UK government had said it would fight for a “strong and fair agreement” but the accord was neither.
“It is not even an agreement,” he said. “The parties rejected it as being a consensus decision.”
He accused the US of “arm twisting” some countries into a deal, and said the rich countries had acted against the spirit of the past two years of negotiations.